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[NEXUS] OoC 19: Et tu, Ninja-Pirate Zombie?

WELCOME TO THE NEXUS!

So, what is Nexus?

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Well, the Nexus itself is like a rift, a single, brilliant point where all the universes in this strange thing we call 'reality' meet. Traveling to, from, and between any world or cosmology is theoretically possible here, and the Nexus itself seems to encourage this happening, often sucking beings and locations out of other universes at random, and dumping them on the world that lies at its center. It was not always like this, however. Once there were two worlds at the Nexus' heart, separate and distinct, though somewhat similar in ways. Similar enough that they slowly and eventually merged, so that only one remained. Here in this world the Nexus' influence reigns supreme, and as such the world has defied almost all attempts at classification. Here, knights of old may engage with Jedi knights. Gleaming spaceships land in Dark Age hamlets. Cowboys and samurai quest together to find holy sandwich boxes. And in the heavens above, Xi Wangmu and the Flying Spaghetti Monster meet every Woden's Day to play bowls with Pelor (it gets pretty epic). Here the possibilities are endless, and the universe without rules (except the Forum Rules, and the general FFRP rules, and the Individual Thread Rules, and oh whatever). Welcome to Nexus. Fun is had here.

Major Locales

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For an endless world that defies all logic and classification, Nexus can be pretty darn consistent at times. As such, several locations have survived the test of time, remaining (somewhat) constant amidst the chaos of the rest of the world.

Inside - Inside mostly resembles a modern city, with high-rise buildings and apartments, alleyways and roads, though the odd Demonic Monument can still be seen rising up above the surrounding suburb, teeming with dark cultists. Inside is the current seat of the Acronymian Empire, which controls much of the surrounding area.

Outside - If you ain't Inside, you're OUTSIDE! Simple as that. Outside is a meta-thread for all those wildernessy type areas that don't merit their own threads, be it wood or lake or tiny shack.

ACRONYMS - Home to adventurers, these complexes provide headquarters and occasionally living space for like-minded Player Characters. Invariably equipped with cheesy names, these structures provide a place for their various members to fight crime, cause chaos, or anything of the sort. Current Acronyms include:

AMEN - Association for the Malicious, Evil and Nefarious. Evil aligned organization, exists to be EVIL! And sometimes Ebil.

Aurora - Not really an ACRONYM, but the brainchild of several disgruntled LANTERN members, an organization dedicated to the betterment of the Nexus in general.

The Taverns
What kind of vaguely DnD-esque adventurer would you be if you didn't visit one of these places at least once? The various Taverns, Grills, Hotels, Cantinas and Restaurant provide meeting places for the Player Characters, areas for quest givers to stand mysteriously in, and also places for people to eat and spend the money they seem to have infinite amounts of. Though there are a vast number of such places in Nexus, some with their own thread and some without, throughout history three major hubs have existed, without which Nexus as we know it wouldn't exist. The Dancing Fox Inn, which is located in What used to be Town but is now another part of the Inside. Taverna Generica, which is located near Inside's more NPC inhabited areas. Finally, there is Trog's Tavern, which is located, maddeningly enough, at every corner of the Nexus at the same time. There is also the Black Dragon's Den, it's located roughly between the docks and the slums of Inside, and is the local hive of scum and villainy.

General Nexus FAQs:

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Is there a guide to getting started? Besides this post, which you're currently reading, you should also read post 3 of the stickied FFRP Central thread. Once you've read both, you can ask any questions you ask in the current Nexus OOC thread. If you have no questions, post in the Nexus OOC anyway to introduce yourself. And welcome.

What kind of character can I make? Any. There are no restrictions on genre, alignment, world of origin, etc.

Will my power work the way it does in the source setting? Almost certainly not. In your setting, you may have been the Mighty Zorlox, whose power to control the world's socks was absolute, but in the Nexus, you may run across Madam Bo Peep, who controls the world's wool.

If my power goes against your power, who wins? In combat or any type of adversarial situation, the defender has the final say. So if Zorlox tries to turn Bo Peep's wool socks purple, Peep's player gets to decide if her wool power prevails. But if Bo Peep tries to have a pair of wool socks strangle Zorlox, then his player gets to decide if his sock power wins.

Oh no! Someone's already using my character concept! In the Nexus, all cosmologies are true. Just because someone is playing the incarnation of Death doesn't mean you can't as well. You are very unlikely to come up with a character concept that is wholly unique while remaining playable; there is nothing new under the sun, and so on.

Sometimes you'll say 'I just came up with a great character idea - they have x race and y abilities and z backstory and I'll call her Linda' and someone will say 'You mean like my character Lynda over there that I introduced last week?' No one really knows why these sort of coincidences occur, but the Nexus seems especially prone to them. When they do, the best thing to do is to fiddle with your character concept a bit to set them apart.

Where should I start? Long answer, you can start in any thread that isn't a private thread or a plot thread. Short answer, Trog's. Just start at Trog's. Do I need to get pre-approval for my character, or fill in a registry form before I start? Nope. You can if you like, but it's not required. And sometimes it's better to get a feel for your character first, before deciding all the details about them.

Your first character (copied from FFRP Central)

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So, you're ready to make your first character. One of the hardest things to get used to in ffrp is that you don't start out in an adventuring party, and there's no DM to push characters together. You'll have to actually find people to interact with on your own. Here are some tips (not requirements!) for making that easier on your first character:

Don't be the quiet person in the shadowy corner. If you roleplay as someone who is outgoing and talkative, you'll find it easier to make IC friends. Someone who is curious or greedy will be more open to plot hooks and adventure opportunities. But if you roleplay someone who is shy or quiet or wary of other people, you're likely to be left alone.

Don't be openly evil. If you walk into the tavern and start murdering npcs, you are unlikely to make a lot of friends and very likely to get jumped on by a bunch of PCs who were looking for a fight.

Consider starting low-powered. It's tempting in a freeform system with no scores or points to decide that your character is the best at everything, but where will they go from there? They can always gain powers or magic items or skills as they go on.

Don't be too needy. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. The characters you meet at first are likely to be involved in their own affairs. Some players start by having their character immediately in need of rescue, healing, training, attention, etc. This can work well, but make sure you have a plan B in case there is no one willing to drop everything to devote themselves to being your rescuer! Can your character make it if they receive only a minimal amount of help, or none at all?

Don't be too self-sufficient. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. If you are a combat powerhouse and a healer and a master of obscure lore and a spellcaster, people are likely to get weary of their characters taking a back seat to yours and decide you can do just fine without them.

Be aware of deadtimes and real life. Sometimes, not many people are online and active. Sometimes the people who are may only have a limited time to play and want to use it to progress their favorite storyline instead of meeting new people. Try to be patient and remember that it won't be long before you'll be the one wrapped up in your own favorite storylines. Talk to people in the ooc thread while you wait for your character to get 'stuck in'.

Have fun! Remember this is a game, and if it isn't fun, you aren't doing it right.

Note: This is the OOC thread. Not a roleplaying thread. That's what the actual roleplaying threads and SMBG are for.